Their kitchen table, meant be covered in sippy cups and crayon drawings - instead holds the only thing they have left to remember their children.

“The photos and hand and footprints in this memory box are all we have of our babies. They are so precious to us," Cat told The Sun.

How to deal with grief and the loss of a loved one74367

How to deal with grief and the loss of a loved one

03 Aug 2018

“But we went home holding our memory box when it should have been our babies. We felt so empty.”

Little did Cath and Mike know it was actually a triple surprise. Source: The Sun

Cat was pregnant with triplets on the first try

The British couple, who met six years ago, knew they wanted a baby as soon as they got married in February, 2017.

They were overjoyed to fall pregnant on the first try - but their joy was not about to end there...

"We just wanted to check everything was OK. The sonographer said there’s not just one heartbeat, so we thought it was twins," Cat recalled.

“She held up three fingers and said, ‘No, it’s triplets’. We both went, ‘wow’," Mike added.

Aware of the risks of carrying three babies, Cat was put under the care of the specialist neonatal unit of Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham, in the north of England.

Throughout the entire pregnancy, Cat couldn't wait to meet her babies. Source: The Sun

“I thought I was dying"

They found out the sex of two of the babies at Cat’s 20-week scan.

“We were told we were having a boy and girl, but we couldn’t find out all the sexes because of the way one of them was lying - so it would be a surprise,” she said.

Just two days later, Cat was at home when she started suffering from back pain.

“I went to bed early but the pain was so bad it kept waking me up. I woke Mike and said, ‘I think we need to go to hospital’,” she said.

The next few hours passed like a blur, the memories flashing in and out.

Cat remembers walking into the hospital and feeling liquid running down the back of her legs.

"I thought I was haemorrhaging blood, but my waters broke," she said.

“I thought I was dying. It was the most scary and traumatic experience.”

Cath and Mike couldn't wait to meet their three babies. Source: The Sun

"I felt completely helpless"

Cat made it to the labour ward before giving birth to Jack, followed by Lottie.

Doctors told the couple the chance of survival at less than 22 weeks is close to zero.

“We were told nothing could be done,” Cat said.

“I felt completely helpless. I can’t describe what it was like watching my wife go through that,” Mike confessed.

In the midst of the devastation, the couple were given a moment of hope when there was a 15-minute break in labour.

“I thought we were going to be able to keep one baby and she would stay inside but, unfortunately, my waters broke,” Cat said.

“All three babies were placed on my chest and they hugged each other. They were looking at each other and smiling.”

The couple already bought toys to welcome the trio. Source: The Sun

"In that moment - we were a family"

Through tears, Cat explained she “told them how much we loved them”.

Mike was then able to hold Jack, Lottie and Rosie for the first time.

“I saw their little chests moving up and down and their hearts beating,” he said.

“I remember a photo being taken and I’m smiling. Later, I thought: ‘Why on earth am I smiling when the worst thing in the world is happening? But looking at their faces I was so filled with love.”

“In that moment we were a family. It’s almost like time stood still,” Cat said.

One of the heartbreaking photos midwife Nikki took of the babies. Source: The Sun

“They passed away with smiles on their faces"

The couple was able to spend one very precious hour and a half with their babies before they passed away - within minutes of each other.

“They passed away with smiles on their faces,” Cat said breaking down.

“They knew they were so loved.”

The babies were then taken to the hospital’s special maternity bereavement ward, where they were placed in cuddle-cots, which kept them cool to allow Cat and Mike precious time to bond with their babies.

“We were able to spend three nights in the hospital with our babies. We never felt like we were being pressured to leave,” Cat said.

Cat and Mike are honouring their babies memory by helping others. Source: The Sun

"Baby loss is such a taboo subject. We want people to talk about it more"

Nikki, one of the midwives in the unit are all trained in photography, snapped the heartbreaking photos of the kids and also made casts of their feet and hands to put inside a special memory box.

Still recovering from the horrific loss, Cat and Mike shared their heart-wrenching ordeal for Baby Loss Awareness Week in the UK.

"Baby loss is such a taboo subject. We want people to talk about it more. It’s a vow we made to the triplets,” Cat said.

“If it helps one other person, that will be amazing — it will be their lasting legacy.”

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